Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, United States.
Curr Pharm Des. 2017;23(34):5077-5085. doi: 10.2174/1381612823666170725142337.
Phytosterols (PS) are plant-based structural analogous of mammalian cholesterol that have been shown to lower blood cholesterol concentrations by ~10%, although inter-individual response to PS supplementation due to subject-specific metabolic and genetic factors is evident. Recent work further suggests that PS may act as effective triglyceride (TG)-lowering agents with maximal TG reductions observed in hypertriglyceridemic subjects. Although PS have been demonstrated to interfere with cholesterol and perhaps TG absorption within the intestine, they also have the capacity to modulate the expression of lipid regulatory genes through liver X receptor (LXR) activation. Identification of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in key cholesterol and TG regulating genes, in particular adenosine triphosphate binding cassette G8 (ABCG8) and apolipoprotein E (apoE) have provided insight into the potential of utilizing genomic identifiers as an indicator of PS responsiveness. While PS supplementation is deemed safe, expanding research into the atherogenic potential of oxidized phytosterols (oxyphytosterols) has emerged with their identification in arterial lesions. This review will highlight the lipid-lowering utility and associated mechanisms of PS and discuss novel applications and future research priorities for PS pertaining to in utero PS exposure for long-term cardiovascular disease risk protection and combination therapies with lipidlowering drugs.
植物甾醇（PS）是植物来源的与哺乳动物胆固醇结构类似的物质，已被证明可降低约 10%的血液胆固醇浓度，尽管由于个体的代谢和遗传因素，个体对 PS 补充的反应不同。最近的研究进一步表明，PS 可能是一种有效的甘油三酯（TG）降低剂，在高甘油三酯血症患者中观察到最大的 TG 降低。尽管 PS 已被证明可干扰胆固醇和肠道内的 TG 吸收，但它们也有能力通过肝 X 受体（LXR）激活来调节脂质调节基因的表达。鉴定关键胆固醇和 TG 调节基因中的单核苷酸多态性（SNP），特别是三磷酸腺苷结合盒 G8（ABCG8）和载脂蛋白 E（apoE），为利用基因组标识符作为 PS 反应性的指标提供了深入了解。虽然 PS 补充被认为是安全的，但随着它们在动脉病变中的鉴定，对氧化植物甾醇（oxyphytosterols）的动脉粥样硬化潜力的研究不断扩大。本综述将重点介绍 PS 的降脂作用及其相关机制，并讨论 PS 在宫内 PS 暴露以长期预防心血管疾病风险和与降脂药物联合治疗方面的新应用和未来研究重点。
